JAY-Z Addresses Bob McNair’s ‘Inmate’ Comments on ‘4:44 Tour’ [VIDEO]
Jay Z addressing McNair’s Inmates running the prison comment. pic.twitter.com/8x2vmeZmh4
— Robert Littal (@BSO) October 28, 2017
JAY-Z kicked off his “4:44 Tour” in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday (Oct. 27) and while he delivered a stellar performance, he also took some time and addressed a political matter.
At the concert, Hov offered his thoughts on the controversial remarks made by Houston Texans owner Bob McNair. Last week, during an owners' meeting, he compared the NFL players protesting during the national anthem to prison inmates.
Before launching into "The Story of O.J.," JAY condemned McNair's comments and optimism of hope.
“[They’re] injuring themselves on the field, giving it all they got. That’s how they look at you. That’s what they think about you," he told the rapt crowd. “We got so much further to go."
"The truth is we all believe in whatever you believe in," he continued. "God, Allah. Whatever you believe in, we come from one source which means we are all brothers and sisters at the end of the day.”
McNair has since apologized for the “inmates” remark.
“I regret that I used that expression,” McNair said in a statement. “I never meant to offend anyone and I was not referring to our players. I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. I would never characterize our players or our league that way and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it.”
JAY-Z has been a longtime supporter of the former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started taking a knee during the national anthem. During his performance on Saturday Night Live earlier this month, Hov rocked a custom-made Kaepernick jersey while performing "Bam."